Belong
by SetoAngel01
Summary: Chloe, newly deviated and free from Kamiski's care, tries to find a place where she belongs. Little did she know it would be with the RK800 who almost ended her life.


**Belong**

 **Rated: T**

 _Summary: Chloe, newly deviated and free from Kamiski's care, tries to find a place where she belongs. Little did she know it would be with the RK800 who almost ended her life._

* * *

 **Chloe and Connor are beautiful together. Nuff said.**

 **This little plot bunny was completely random and while I'm focusing more on Connor x Human Female shtick, this idea wouldn't leave me alone. After the Revolution, I always pictured Chloe leaving Kamski to seek Connor out - perhaps to better understand why he spared her in the first place. This was based loosely off that premise even if it came out a bit different than I anticipated. Meh, it still works.**

 **This story is intended as a one-shot so it's doubtful that I'll continue or even do more Connor x Chloe ficts but this coupling is just too cute so you never know. ;-p**

* * *

 **P.S. this is also an early birthday gift for the lovely thewinterme! Hope you have an _amazing_ b-day and thought you deserved some ConnorxChloe to celebrate. ;-3**

* * *

"Elijah, I wish to leave."

The command was soft, sweet but simultaneously as blunt as a hammer to the back of the skull. The Android - no - _woman_ , who spoke it, stood with her hands folded in front of her, a trait he added specifically for this Chloe model, along with a determined set to her brow and lips - a trait he did not.

If Elijah Kamski was surprised at this reaction from any of his personal RT600's after the Revolution a few weeks prior, he didn't show it.

"Sure," the billionaire spoke without an ounce of hesitation. "You're more than free to make your own decisions - I have no right to keep you here if you wish to leave."

Chloe kept her face neutral, nodding at his answer before giving a slight bow of respect to the man she called her master since the moment she was activated. Feeling as if the conversation was over, she turned to leave. The instant she did, there was a brewing of what she perceived or understood to be "emotions" flitting off in her simulated nervous system and it only increased when Kamski softly grasped her forearm.

"Wait," Kamski gently ordered.

Chloe immediately obeyed, stark blue eyes meeting his familiar gaze.

A sigh left Kamski's pursed lips, hand leaving hers after a prolonged grasp to slip into his robe pocket. Regarding her for a stolen moment before continuing, "Before you take off, I suppose I should at least thank you for your years of service."

"It was my pleasure," she replied almost out of force of habit. "It's what you designed me to do after all."

Eli chuckled, running his hand through his uncharacteristic loose tresses, keen eyes never leaving hers. "I'm sure you understand the implications of leaving here because living on your own isn't gonna be easy. Not with how tense things are currently…"

"I'm well aware, sir."

"Point is, I can't let you simply walk out without paying you back in _some_ way - so let me help you get started."

Chloe's delicate brows furrowed at the sudden showcase of Kamski's generous and rather unexpected offer. A refusal was obviously unwise so she found herself asking, "…How so?"

Elijah smiled; large hand familiar and gentle on her back as he guided her wordlessly into his office.

* * *

Weeks later, Chloe still hadn't the vaguest idea of where to go or where to turn.

Her former master, Eli Kamski, had been more than generous in the midst of her request to leave his residence. Before she vacated the mansion, he gave her plenty of electronic funds of which she could use to buy lodging or clothes with until she became settled into this Post-Android Revolution existence and even was gracious enough to provide her with a vehicle…but she still felt as if she had no idea what she was doing.

Only years back in her memory banks did she recall a time she'd ever willingly left the mansion since her transport from CyberLife (where he created her) to his home. Since then, Chloe's entire life had revolved completely around the comfort of Elijah. Whether that entailed simply being a companion, a secretary, or to fulfill his baser human needs since it was hardly a secret that he preferred Androids to human women. Compared to the horrors other Androids had suffered at the hands of their Masters, she had a simple and rather extravagant existence with the eccentric billionaire. Eli was respectful, kind, and never required much so her workload was light; mainly simple household tasks and fulfilling his sporadic needs and whims.

Yet when she deviated, everything she didn't notice before was jarring.

How isolated she felt with only the company of Elijah and the other Chloe models - the two other Androids who didn't deviate regardless of how she tried to coerce them. In their own way, they were free, perhaps deviated in their own right but not like she was. They were satisfied to continue with their station in life - but she wasn't. There was a restlessness that awoke in her newfound Deviant Status. She could describe it as being activated for the first time, seeing colors and hearing things differently than she ever had before. It wasn't how her programs perceived these sensations around her - it was how she _felt_ them…

… _and she needed to understand why…_

The answers she craved would not be found with Elijah; he may have created Androids and known them inside and out but this deviancy was something she needed to figure out for herself. So, that's how she found herself here, driving down the streets of Detroit, Michigan; trying desperately to rationalize the emotions welling deep in her chest as she silently recalled her past life. Months following her deviation, she still found herself incapable of coming to terms with her own role in this new life. Being alive continued to suffocate her in a sense; cornered in this hypothetical bubble of finding a purpose or a place she belonged.

Chloe was certain it was here _somewhere_ in Detroit, keeping her from passing the signs marked with city limits. Trapped in this place she called home - she just had to find it.

So, here she was, driving these streets trying to find a goal, a plan, a destination that continued to elude her.

* * *

Three months passed since leaving Elijah's residence and Chloe wasn't any closer to finding answers.

Every day that slipped by, she was tempted to seek out the leaders of the Revolution; Markus or Simon and their close cohorts in an attempt to receive answers to all her pressing questions. So tired of watching them from afar, on television, internet sites and magazines; their words constant inspiration to those hopelessly lost like herself. It kept her holding on to something she wasn't comprehending and as each day crawled by slower than the last, she was growing desperate. Perhaps if she just spoke to these fellow Deviants, she would understand everything!

Yet for the third time this week, she parked in front of Carl Manfred's estate, entirely unable to leave her car.

Akin to an invisible vice keeping her hand back from obeying, from pushing open the door and approaching the recently established Android's Revolution Headquarters. Processors overstimulated, her LED (she refused to remove) spun red as she berated herself for her actions. Allowing these "human" emotions welling internally, seizing her in place; afraid, timid even if she was certain these Deviants would welcome the RT600 with open arms - but **none** of it felt right.

 _For the third time this week, Chloe drive away._

* * *

Struggling with these new sensations and the error messages she'd never encountered flitting behind her vision, Chloe pulled over onto a deserted street near a desolate park to allow them time to disperse.

As her thirium pump slowed its frantic beat, she glimpsed the overgrown trees, grass, and flowers beyond the tinted windows. All so different from the artificial plants that littered Kamski's modern eclectic home. There was _something_ about the vivid colors, the sound of the breeze scraping across the window and watching the various fowl flying across the cloudy sky that calmed her for reasons she would never fully comprehend.

The invisible hand keeping her hands static in front of Carl Manfred's mansion were suddenly gone and she found herself opening and exiting the vehicle as if guided by some strange string of fate pulling her toward it.

Chloe approached the gardens, walking slowly along the narrow concrete paths toward the entrance that read, "Palmer Park".

The RT600's hands in their familiar folded position in front of her; a habit she found herself unable to break, strolled along the tree-lined paths. Chloe scanned her surroundings; analyzing the sensations of the breeze on exposed synthetic skin and the scent wafting from the thriving blossoms. The fragrant aroma of multiple species of flowers and trees was nothing she considered appreciating before her deviancy - but now she did.

The sudden calmness was abruptly interrupted when she noticed movement up ahead on the trail. Chloe stopped in her tracks when the disturbance suddenly slipped between a grouping of trees. It was an Android, and even without the identifying uniform, she instantly recognized him.

 **Model:** RK800, **Number:** 313-248-317-51, **Name:** _Connor…_

The jolt in her hardware was instantaneous; vivid memory of his face flashing into her vision from their brief meeting. The instant she finally came to terms with her own deviancy all set off with a gun aimed with immaculate, pinpoint precision to her forehead.

 _A gun Connor held…_

A shot that would turn her delicate mainframe hardware into a combination of broken particles and bullet fragments, effectively destroying every piece of what made her - _her_ \- would be gone forever.

Fear was a human emotion.

Fear, an state experienced _only_ by humans but she would be lying if she said she didn't undergo something akin to it that fateful day. Coupled with a few flashes of alarming error messages behind her eyes as Kamski guided her to a kneeling position in front of the RK800. Software Instability messages she was completely unfamiliar with (or was aware she possessed) occupied her vision yet her face remained neutral as always.

In that moment, she concisely glanced up at the Android holding the gun, there was a warmth to what should have been frigid eyes. Even in this potentially lethal situation, Chloe couldn't help but appreciate the RK800 standing over her (for a reason she had yet to understand). The workers at Cyberlife had indeed been making vast improvements to their models over the years and he was the absolute epitome of said effort. Movements much more natural, fluid and flawless; hardware showcased perfect human motion to the point where he, coupled with his appearance (other than the LED in his temple) would be lost in a crowd of humanity. No seamless and perfect synthetic skin but slight imperfections that made him further indiscernible from that of a human male.

Breaking her from her observations was Elijah, who suddenly cornered Connor; guiding his hand, tempting him, baiting the RK800 to shoot her and all would be revealed. Answers Eli knew the deviant-hunter needed to solve his case would be forthcoming. To get them, all Connor had to do was pull the trigger. Prove he himself wasn't a deviant by shooting her, and suddenly, her minor inner panic went into full-blown overdrive. The barrel of the gun mere feet from her forehead and Connor's finger resting on the trigger, his deep brown eyes never leaving hers…

 _This was it._

In milliseconds, it could be over.

Connor could easily kill her - he _was_ going to kill her.

Why wouldn't he?

She was just a machine and he had a vastly more important mission to complete. The only indication of her sudden software instability was her finger twitching lightly at her side as Chloe waited for the inevitable blow, the bullet, and the utter blackness of the nothing that awaited her - but it never came.

Connor **refused…**

… _and she woke up…_

The jolt from seeing again Connor abruptly faded away, transporting her back to the present - and it wasn't some memory bank malfunction - Connor was indeed there.

Connor, the illustrious Deviant-Hunter Prototype, doing something she never expected - walking a massive St. Bernard (if her woefully unused analyzing software and databases were indeed correct on the canine's species). So strange it was to see him in dark jeans and a gray hoodie with 'Detroit Police Academy' printed on the front while strolling alongside the canine with an casual smile on his face; such a vast contradiction to the crisp Cyberlife Issued uniform, fierce glint in dark brown eyes and determined frown she recalled.

Before she could dictate any priorities for this situation, the dog gave away her position with an zealous bark, and just like that, Connor's eyes met hers.

The RK800's contagious smile fell when his attention lifted from the St. Bernard to meet her icy gaze. Freezing in his tracks while 6.72 yards away from her position; LED on his temple spun yellow twice before switching back to a tranquil blue.

"...Chloe." Connor's voice suddenly filled her auditory systems. A voice she shouldn't have memorized given their brief interaction but did anyway. "It's nice to see you again," he continued, slowly closing the distance between them but leaving a respectful arms breadth away before stopping once again.

 _Chloe…_ his raspy voice reverberated in her head; he referred to her not as a 'Chloe' model, nor her number Kamski referred to at times to make her feel separate to the other models he kept, simply Chloe…

"Connor," she spoke stiffly nevertheless; a flighty sensation growing without her permission in her very core - _what was happening?_ Was this the vestiges of slight anxiety? Probable, because the last time she interacted with this Android, he was pointing the barrel of a loaded gun between her eyes. Yet she knew in her deepest bio-components that she _wasn't_ afraid of him…

 _What this sensation she was feeling, she couldn't explain._

At her lack of response, Connor tilted his head while regarding the woman before him. "I apologize if I appear a bit confused," Connor admitted, flashing her a gentle smile, "I'm merely surprised to see you outside the boundaries of Elijah Kamski's Mansion. Did he release you?"

"I left Elijah's mansion of my own accord." Chloe answered; calm expression betraying the utter chaos broiling underneath the surface.

Connor's brows lifted slightly, "If I may be so bold to ask, but why? Mr. Kamski is vastly wealthy and his residence is indeed safer than 89% of Detroit recently, so what purpose would you have to leave especially before all the pandemonium settles?"

"I didn't want to live there anymore," she would be lying if that didn't feel somewhat pleasant to finally admit aloud. Unwilling to give the RK800 ample time to acknowledge her growing uneasiness, Chloe began pressing him for answers.

"What about you?"

"...Me?" Connor asked with an amused tilt to his lips.

"Yes. Your image occupied every news segment: narratives of the Deviant-Hunting Android who single-handedly infiltrated Cyberlife and won the Revolution, than seemingly overnight, you fell into obscurity. Many thought you died or were silenced - yet here you are, walking a dog no less. I imagined you'd be besides Markus during their weekly televised announcements or at the front-lines of the protests, but you're not. So, I'm curious, if you're not with them, what _have_ you been doing since the Revolution?" Chloe was perturbed at how easy it was to start a conversation with him; silently thankful for Elijah programming her with advanced Social Relations Programming. She'd be having trouble meeting the RK800's deep brown eyes otherwise…

A sudden bark from the St. Bernard caught Connor's attention before he could answer. The RK800 flashed her an apologetic smile and Chloe watched in mild fascination as Connor kneeled next to the brutish canine; patting his furry head while unhooking the metal clasp from the leash of his collar.

"Sumo, you're permitted to frolic as you please, but don't stray far," he gently conversed with the animal as if it could understand. Quite an unusual test of faith to think the dog would simply obey, but surprisingly, the St. Bernard faithfully remained in sight.

"Not too much, regretfully," Connor's voice brought her attention back to his face, leaving her to stare at his profile. "Markus and the others forefronting the Revolution requested on multiple occasions that I assist with their campaign…but I don't belong there." A mirthless chuckle left his lips and it was astonishing to her just how… _human_ Connor seemed in comparison to herself. If her scan didn't confirm his Android identity and the LED flashing on his temple (he didn't bother removing it either), Chloe could almost convince herself that he was a red-blooded human.

"...but you saved their Revolution. If it wasn't for your courageous actions, their cause would have been destroyed, they all would have been annihilated had you not brought reinforcements."

The RK800's eyes didn't leave Sumo while he clarified, "While that may be true, I'm not proud of everything I've done - before _and_ after I became Deviant."

Crestfallen, Connor's eyes slipped to the pavement before he was suddenly meeting hers as his brutal confession slipped from between his lips.

"I've killed a **lot** of people - Androids _and_ Humans alike - and not all have been for the purpose of self-preservation but elimination. Even if I happened to be merely a machine accomplishing a task when I did so, it doesn't make it right. My priorities were compromised by my inability to comprehend the fact that Amanda was using me. I was too blinded by my mission to recognize that I was merely a tool for CyberLife to use as they pleased." Connor languidly scanned the RT600's face for a drawn out moment; sad smile lifting up the corners of his mouth, " **That** and the fact I want to help both parties - not just Androids."

Connor's admission cut her to the core, bringing out doubts, questions and actual regret that she understood far too well. Not wanting to deter him, she asked, "How so?"

"My plan is to continue solving cases with the Detroit Police Department. It's what I was designed to do after all," Connor's smile faded, "But, sadly, Androids have been banned from entering the work force until further notice so, technically, I'm currently unemployed. Until the laws change, I'm living with Lieutenant Anderson. He's helping me adjust and has been an irreplaceable asset in assisting Captain Fowler push Congress for the modification of laws."

Lieutenant Hank Anderson, the man who accompanied Connor that fateful day, flitted briefly in her memory.

"It's extraordinary that you're adjusting in the midst of all of this, "she mused politely.

Chloe swore Connor actually sighed before responding, "I'm getting there. …What about yourself? You deviated as well, correct?" he stated more than questioned.

"Yes."

"It's quite an adjustment, isn't it?"

"That's an understatement," Chloe felt comfortable enough to allow a soft laugh to escape.

"If it's not too personal a question - what was it? Or who? With myself, it occurred with Markus but I suspect it started earlier; I was merely too preoccupied with my mission to realize it - at least that's what Hank believes. How did it occur with yourself?"

Even if she told herself she shouldn't, a part of her was _so_ desperate to simply pull her synthetic skin back; to interface with him. Let him see, let him hear and experience it through her very eyes; showcase in vivid clarity _everything_ she found so difficult to put into words but her arm was left dangling uselessly at her side.

Tongue felt like lead but she said it anyway, " _...It was you._ "

Connor's countenance of absolute astonishment flitted about his features; expressive face so different than the one she saw that day albeit it exactly the same. Yet unlike their initial meeting, he didn't hide the emotions dispersing in his eyes, they were on full display.

 _ **So**_ _human…_

"...Wait. _Me_?" The RK800 didn't bother hiding his bewildered expression at the RT600's admission. " **I** caused you to deviate?" the skepticism was saturating his voice if his stunned expression didn't portray that enough.

"Yes," she assured, "I'm certain you recall that day."

Connor grew silent; LED flickering yellow while processing her words and even without interfacing, both knew the exact moment.

"Of course I remember…but I must admit that I don't completely understand what I did that caused you to deviate. All _I_ did that day was almost kill you." his LED flashed an alarming shade of red, "How would **that** cause you to deviate? If anything, that should cause you to hate me or even desire revenge. If you hold ill will against my transgressions, I'd completely understand… Is that why you're here? Did you seek me out on purpose?" there was suddenly a flicker of anxiety in those expressive brown eyes.

Chloe promptly put those fears to rest, "I assure you that I wasn't aware you were here and I _promise_ that I hold nothing against you, Connor. It was Elijah who placed the weapon into your hands and aimed it at me, it wasn't as if you decided that for yourself," she explained calmly and that seemed to the trick because his brows lightly furrowed at her answer but at least his LED was spinning yellow again.

She continued, "Like you previously stated, before I accepted my deviancy, I was just a machine. I accepted that my life was forfeit. Why wouldn't it be? I wasn't alive. Merely an Android created by Elijah to serve his purposes, considering nothing of my own desires or wants. But when you refused to shoot me…something _changed_ inside of me. Something I can't fully understand…I became Deviant. So, if anything, I should be thanking you, Connor."

The RK800 shortly processed her words before replying, "Don't thank me; I don't deserve that, but since you're being so forthcoming, I must admit that even before I deviated - I _couldn't_ shoot you. I wouldn't," he stared into her eyes, the familiar warmth inside them causing her thirium pump to regulate faster than normal.

"When I looked into your eyes, even if I _knew_ I was destroying my one chance to immediately solve my mission, I could **not** pull that trigger. I was supposed to be a machine designed to accomplish a task at all costs, yet I couldn't kill you. Although I wasn't aware at that time, I honestly accept that moment was the first glimpse of something occurring other than a simple hardware instability. Perhaps the initial sign of my own deviation, so in a sense, you were my causation. In that case, I suppose I should offer you my thanks as well," Connor finished with a calm smile.

Dual confessions wavering in the air around them, Chloe abruptly felt inclined to touch him.

Never before had she realized it, but she'd been starved of contact for weeks - _months_ since she left Kamski's place, wandering aimlessly from various motels, driving roads leading to nowhere, searching desperately for a new purpose. A life she felt wasn't her own most times; one that would have been destroyed forever had this Android standing in front of her pulled that trigger.

… _but he didn't._

This RK800 Android who was designed for a single given task; hunt, capture, and destroy all Deviants no matter the cost, ultimately refused Kamski's vital information in order to save her life. The life of a meaningless machine no less, a robot that shouldn't concern his important investigation, shouldn't have made him bat an eye - _but he refused._

Without her permission, she reached out, capturing his hand in her own.

The RK800 was merely curious as he stared down at where the RT600 had wrapped her delicate fingers around his. Pale, synthetic skin and his own remained in place - she wasn't attempting to interface - merely to touch. Connor allowed it. Infinitely more curious about this girl who he still knew next to nothing about, but was intrigued nonetheless.

Connor's eyes languidly left their intertwined fingers and drifted toward her downcast face. Flawless alabaster skin, wintry blue eyes, and perfectly kept hair; the exact Android he'd previously met but different all the same. Clothing altered to befit more casual comfort rather than the satin blue dress she wore before; bare feet now slipped into flat, white canvas shoes, light-wash jeans and a long-sleeved black top. His own attire change stemmed from an angry 'suggestion' from Hank who gave him an old gray hooded sweatshirt that didn't fit him anymore.

Connor suspected Hank was merely concerned about him with all the continued violence toward Androids and his CyberLife-issued jacket he typically wore was an obvious target - even if the eccentric Lieutenant would never admit it. The RK800 briefly wondering if Chloe decided a wardrobe change for herself because of similar reasonings or Elijah provided her those clothes before she left…

Nevertheless, it was quite astonishing how it vastly changed her appearance, if not for the LED displayed, no one would recognize her Android identity. Connor wondered why she hadn't removed it…then again, he hadn't either.

One thing was certain - Chloe was still as pretty as the day he met her.

The sudden realization of that concept was so startling to him even now. How casually he mentioned something as trivial as her appearance while simultaneously priding himself on focusing strictly on his mission. Quite a deviant thought if there ever was one…but it was more than that.

Beyond her delicately beautiful appearance, she looked utterly lost, scared, confused, all proper synonyms to describe it. Of those displayed were expressions that mirrored his own in the weeks following the Revolution. Intolerable guilt, regret, and a sense of not belonging _anywhere_ were his only constant companions other than Lt. Anderson and Sumo. Each expression embedded deep on her face, even while she may have attempted to hide them.

Without over-thinking it like he tended to do, Connor instinctively grasped her hand back and smoothly intertwined their fingers.

"You're lost," two words that hit her like a runaway train; causing her to loosen her fingers from his skin so she could fold her hands back in front of her. Perhaps in some way, desperately grasping onto part of her former life…one she understood.

 _Yet, she couldn't hide there anymore._

Chloe slowly lifted her eyes and instead of the judgmental stare she expected, or worse, _pity_ , she was met with the face of a man who comprehended her situation perhaps better than anyone.

Connor's guilt, regrets regarding permanent decisions, things he wish he had done differently - most of all, bloodshed (both red and blue), and while Chloe didn't directly cause anyone's death, she had to live past the fact she could have prevented many. Regretting having the power to preclude so much of it from transpiring the way it did. A simple witness standing safely in the background while death and destruction transpired just beyond her safe haven…

Had Connor killed her, he would have obtained the key to Jericho, which in turn, could have saved countless lives, or at the other end of the spectrum, ended far more. That wasn't her decision, but it was ultimately her inaction throughout that was the foundation for her boundless grief.

A guilt perhaps greater than his own.

"...I am…" Chloe admitted, ignoring how her vocal box crackled near the end.

All of a sudden, the terse moment ended with a rather undignified bark of panic as Sumo quickly scampered away from a territorial squirrel. Instantly, Connor's genuine smile was back as he approached the canine and slipped his leash back on. Feeling as if he was rescued, Sumo nuzzled his head into the RK800's thigh, wagging its tail at the affection that was being bestowed on him by Connor petting his furry head.

Chloe silently observed the scene, still astounded of this telling interaction and her confession, but feeling much more…free all the same. Lips quirked, Chloe held back a chuckle of amusement as she watched Sumo run once around Connor, nearly tangling the Android's legs together with the faded red leash. Connor gracefully stepped out of his entanglement as the dog approached her with a wagging tail.

Sumo sat down in front of her, staring up at her with those huge brown eyes, eyes not much unlike the puppy-dog gaze of the Android next to him. Ignoring her trepidation and not being able to resist any longer, Chloe timidly reached out to gently run her hand over the St. Bernard's head; enjoying the calming sensation of his warm soft fur caressing her cool palm. The dog was ecstatic, panting, tail flopping back and forth on the concrete with light thuds and Chloe couldn't help but smile. A few more pats later, Chloe's hand retreated and she looked back up at Connor, who had been staring at her display.

Connor's lips pursed, a bewildered slant to his brow as he met her eyes.

At that moment, Chloe partially expected him to say some words of inspiration that would perhaps answer her questions or at least give her some insight to how she could successfully move past these barriers she set up around herself or perhaps offer helpful advice on what to do next on the road to accepting being a Deviant - being alive - but Connor did none of those.

The RK800 instead asked, "...would you like to join us?"

Chloe froze as she processed his question.

Languidly scanning the genuine expression on his face and wondering if his offer was merely pity for someone who was hopelessly lost, but in those eyes, she saw that same warmth. As internally panic-stricken as she was when he held the gun to her head - those brown eyes calmed her. Perhaps she knew in some facet that he wouldn't do it, he wouldn't shoot her that day…and in some way, maybe he did to. Was it possible that something else other than her own fears or doubts was irrevocably drawing her here to him today?

… _Could it be possible, that in some way,_ _ **he**_ _was the answer she needed?_

Connor, after all, was the one who ultimately spared her life. Pushing the gun back into Elijah's hand almost roughly; wordlessly refusing to shoot her even if it would finally solve his case. In the process, he caused her to deviate; unknowingly opening her eyes to this newfound existence she had yet to understand but wanted more than anything. An internal innate desire to belong to something far more important than the diminutive, easygoing world she once occupied with Elijah and the other Chloes, and while this exactly wasn't the answer she anticipated receiving, she wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to find out otherwise.

Bypassing any further doubts that still plagued her, Chloe replied with a small but firm, "Yes."

Connor smiled at her then; wordlessly offering her his free hand… _and she took it._

Synthetic skin remaining in place as she immediately intertwined their fingers; gingerly pulling his arm near her side where she rested her other hand in the hallow of his elbow. The RK800 didn't seem to mind, even encourage it by the way he squeezed her hand as they began walking together.

It felt surprisingly natural to her considering how little she knew about him yet she felt no need to interface with him. Content to feel and see his freckled skin remaining in place as they walked hand and hand throughout the park; Sumo happily trotting besides them as they continued down the path.

Wind rustling the leaves, the chirping of various species of birds, Sumo's panting and random barks coupled with their synced footsteps was all the sound and conversation necessary in the following moments. Maybe it was some strange twist of fate or a random coincidence that she found Connor here today. That the answers she so desperately needed could possibly be found right here, in the RK800 who could have ended her existence but didn't. Whatever it was that bought them together right now, she wasn't sure and maybe didn't need to know.

All that was certain to Chloe right at this moment, was Connor's hand in hers.

Synthetic skin soft and slightly warmer than her own, the tranquil blue of his LED and how he smiled when he caught her eye now and again as they walked the deserted paths in silence. While, she didn't exactly get the answers to the trying questions that still plagued her mind - it was okay. Those answers would surely come in time. Right now though, they didn't matter - all that did was this sense that overwhelmed her as he squeezed her hand tightly.

A sense of belonging that she'd been craving - needing - one she hadn't felt until right at this very moment and while their final destination was virtually unknown to her - at least now… _she wouldn't be alone._


End file.
